Nottingham 33v Coventry Rugby 26 - Archers strike gold as Cov fail to hit the target
- 1874tsmith
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
The archer fires away (Send an arrow up)
We hope to rise again (Like an invitation)
Aim high
When the colours come down
Take out
The pale imitation
The whole façade is wearing thin
We just paper over cracks
‘Til people take the power back
Moving out the cavalcade
We live to fight another day
See the archer’s arrows fade (Hey, hey)
See the archer’s arrows fade (Hey, hey)
Archer's Arrows - Crowded House
So, then, honours even.
On Friday night under the lights at Lady Bay, Nottingham beat Coventry Rugby 33-26 to win the Matt Gallagher Cup for the first time after Cov had taken the spoils in back in December.
And it was a deserved win, too.
There were few complaints on the coach after the game from those Cov supporters who had made the journey over to Nottingham; too many mistakes against a very competitive Nottingham side meant that we were left chasing the game after the first 20 minutes or so.
It wasn't a poor Cov performance despite the frequent unforced errors. No, rather Nottingham were far more accurate and had evidently devised a strategy to lessen our effectiveness in set pieces and restrict the chances for our powerful ball carriers, like Strong, Ferrie, Bavadra, and Reeves, of making substantial yards as they had in previous games.
I hadn't fully appreciated just how closely connected Nottingham, both the club and its supporters, were and continue to be with Matt Gallagher. Whilst I was obviously aware that he had played previously for the club, it hadn't registered that he had also played over 100 times for the East Midlands side and, being a little one-eyed when it comes to Cov, I'd always seen him as one of our own, someone who was first and foremost associated with Cov rather than any other club.
Yet, of the two Matt Gallagher Cup games this season, I felt more his presence more on Friday than I did for the inaugural game. Maybe this is being unfair to Cov, but I was more aware of it being about Matt at the Nottingham game than I was at back at the old BPA.
Upon entering the ground, we were greeted by a few supporters offering us the opportunity to buy raffle tickets for a chance to win one of two signed shirts—one from Nottingham and one from Coventry—with all proceeds benefiting the MG Foundation* . The Nottingham team was already on the field warming up, dressed in MGF training tops.
*(proceeds from the CRSC raffle on the coach also went to the MGF, too).
For the match, the Archers donned a specially designed shirt reminiscent of the era when Matt played for Nottingham in the early 90s. Now Cov might have done the same and I just wasn't aware of it, in which case obviously I apologise, but it just seemed a bit more of a Matt Gallagher occasion to me than it did back at the BPA (as was).
And having watched a clip of Nottingham's Director of Rugby, Simon Beatham, the game was obviously important to him, too. Plus, as he said before fixture , 'there is no love lost between Nottingham and Coventry'.
Whether this had any impact on the game itself is all hearsay BUT from the opening whistle Nottingham were as fired up as any team has been against us this season in those opening minutes. Notts flew out of the blocks and it took some excellent defence to keep them from scoring, with Cov struggling to gain any decent possession. Fired up they most certainly were, but Cov managed to hold firm and Ferrie's opening try was really against the run of play.
A second try two minutes later following a fantastic break from Jordon Poole felt as if normal service had been resumed but that wasn't to be the case at all.
We had difficulty establishing any rhythm as we either repeatedly fell foul of the referee or contributed to our own downfall by committing numerous mistakes, many of which were self-inflicted. To be overly critical of Cov would be unfair to Nottingham, though. They managed to negate any advantage we might have expected from the set piece, with the lineout proving particularly problematic. We lost several on our own throw with Nottingham managing to disrupt our jumpers particularly effectively and we definitely didn't have the upper hand in the scrums that we've experienced in many other games this season.
Consequently, the fluidity we've experienced in recent games was lacking, and particularly in the first half when we did get good possession, the strategy appeared to be to pass the ball to Jack Reeves as swiftly as possible without fully considering other options.
On several occasions, the winger either had no space to run into or the final pass was inaccurate. Reeves was far less effective than in previous games because he was so tightly marked yet, to me, we seemed too slow to change the angle of attack.
Nottingham had clearly done their homework and the players we have relied on in the past to make good yards were marked out of the game. Strong, in particular, seemed to have two or three players on him as soon as he received the ball and Bavadra was allowed no time or space to weave his magic.
Coventry's efforts were also hindered by a couple of worrying injuries to Tom Ball and Dan Green. Ball had to leave the field with a shoulder injury after remaining on the pitch for quite some time following the initial collision to be replaced by Jack Shine. This was somewhat surprising to many Coventry supporters who had anticipated MacKenzie Graham would be the natural replacement. Perhaps concerns about Coventry's struggling lineout influenced the decision, but Graham's mobility on the field might have helped break down Nottingham's defence, which largely remained solid throughout the afternoon.
The nature of Ball and Green's injuries indicates that both could be sidelined for a while. Their absence will be significant, but fortunately, we have some depth in those positions. However, with crucial games ahead, particularly the trip to Cornwall, this situation is less than ideal. It's possible that young Sam Harding might get another chance to play next Friday against Cambridge, considering the importance of the Pirates game.
Securing home advantage in the quarter-final would provide a substantial financial benefit for Cov and the Cambridge game, at least on paper, would be a perfect chance to rest some players before the Pirates and Worcester games, especially since there's still a possibility of us finishing second after Wuss' defeat yesterday.
In recent times, most of the visits to Lady Bay seem to have been in the dark so it was interesting to see the ground in the light before the floodlights took effect. I don't think I've missed a Cov game there since our promotion, except perhaps during the Covid ban, but I was surprised at just how small the main stands were. I'd remembered them as holding far more.
It's likely the worst view from any stand that you'll find in The Champ, with your view frequently obstructed by vertical posts that consistently interfere with watching the action on the pitch and at £23, with no concessions for students or seniors, it's not particularly good value. I've certainly learned a lesson and the next time we visit Lady Bay, unless the weather is especially inclement, we'll stand pitchside which is where we ended up for the second half. It's £5 cheaper or £8 if you qualify for a concession and for that you benefit from a completely unobstructed view of the game.
This is probably the reason why so many Notts fans chose to watch the game from the sidelines, boosting the atmosphere with noise from all four corners of the pitch. The Rugby Paper reported the attendance as 2,157, though it was announced on the night as slightly over 1,900. It actually felt like fewer, but walking around the pitch at halftime, it was surprising how many of those people who had dined before kickoff had then decided to stay in the marquee to 'watch' the game. Not something I would personally choose to do, but to each their own.
From a visitor's perspective, the club hasn't really embraced the modern era. Take the PA system, for example. Although there is a DJ who plays music before the game, it's mostly confined to the food and entertainment section of the ground. While the music is played at a relatively high volume, it isn't integrated into the main PA system, so away from that area, there's not much atmosphere before kick-off. During the game, there are updates on scores and scorers, but that's about it, which is unusual these days.
Sometimes, I think we overdo the musical interludes during breaks in play at the NNS, but if it's a choice between none at all or what we currently have, I believe we're much closer to getting it right than Nottingham. There's always plenty of interaction between Richard Barnes and the crowd at Cov and he does help create a sense of identity that was lacking, I felt, at Lady Bay on Friday evening but I totally accept that for Notts supporters, maybe that's much the preferred option.
As an aside...the lights didn't seem quite as powerful as those at Cov and whilst the corners underneath the floodlights were clearly lit, the area in the middle of the pitch (the floodlights were situated on each corner) were noticeably less bright. It was certainly light enough to see clearly, it was just that you could tell a difference. I've not noticed that at other grounds before.
Having been a little critical of the facilities thus far, I'm happy to relate the food met with Josh's approval, faring far better than in his travels to most of the other Champ grounds this season.
It might be that after a whole day spent coaching youngsters, he was particularly hungry but he relished the hot dog which was of an impressive size, in a soft white roll of equal proportions.
The Cajun-style fries were definitely spicy (I tried a few to confirm some neutrality, you understand) and at £12 for the two, it was on a par with most clubs this season and a good deal cheaper than one or two.
To be fair, there weren't many options, and there were definitely no healthy ones available (unlike at Ampthill). However, Josh was more than satisfied with it, and as shown in the table below, it's among the best available in The Champ this season, according to budding foodster, Josh Smith (of the games he's attended - apologies to Hartpury and Ealing).
Unofficial Champ Food Watch Scores for 2025/26
Caldy 8.5
Cambridge 8.25
Doncaster Knights 8.0
Nottingham 7.5
Chinnor 7.5
Ampthill 7
Worcester Warriors 7
Richmond 7
Coventry Rugby 6.5
London Scottish 6.5
Bedford Blues 3.5
Despite the defeat, Cov's performance definitely showed spirit even if technically it wasn't up there with the best we've seen from Cov this season. At 21-12 and 28-19, Cov twice fought back to within one score and showed the sort of determination and commitment to the cause that has sometimes been lacking in those kinds of situations in seasons past.
For me, that's down to two main factors.
First, this is a group of players who appear to be very close and play for the team and one another, possibly more so than in some seasons when we may have been stronger individually in certain areas but not as united collectively.
Secondly, although we may not have the 'big' name players (in terms of this league) like we did in the past—such as Wand, Rigg, Pellegrini, Kvesic, Chudley, etc.—the squad appears to have more depth, allowing the bench to have a greater impact. On Friday, even though we didn't play as well as in the previous five or six games, we were only 2 points behind with 2 minutes remaining. If it hadn't been for a wayward kick from our 22, we might have had the chance to move up field for a potential 3-pointer to win the game at the end. This season, Rae appears to have the considerable advantage of having full confidence in all the finishers in the latter stages of a game, a situation that wasn't always apparent last season, for instance (remember Daniel Okeke?).
The two bonus points earned might yet prove decisive in determining our play-off position and should we win our remaining three games and Bedford lose to Ealing, second place is certainly still on the cards. Friday's result confirms that perhaps with the exception of Cambridge, any team in this league is capable of an upset - we just need to make sure it is us and not the opposition that is causing it in the remaining fixtures! Easier said than done, I grant you.
What makes a second-place finish seem unlikely, at least for me, is that we have not yet managed to defeat any of the top six clubs in away games, highlighting just how competitive this league is. Ealing, Bedford, Worcester, and Chinnor have all beaten us away from the NNS, demonstrating the challenge Cov will face against the Pirates in a couple of weeks.
It will be challenging, but it's definitely achievable, although Cov must deliver a better performance than they did on Friday. As is often the case, Pirates are ending the season on a strong note, and this won't be the first time we've faced them late in the season to determine who finishes higher in The Champ.
The difference this time is that there's rather more at stake than just pride.
Up the Cov!
Tim, official crowd confirmed as 1942. Graham.